Despite extensive coverage in the media of violent occurrences worldwide, a recent study conducted at Tel Aviv University has actually demonstrated with mathematical proof that as humanity progresses — the world is becoming less violent.

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Dr. Jacob Bock Axelsen of the biomathematics unit at Tel Aviv University's Department of Zoology has discovered that as the human population grows — violence declines. Axelsen uses a mathematical model to describe the correlation between population growth and a decline in violence levels.

"This result came from my project on global language diversity," Axelsen tells NoCamels. "[The largest] civilizations [in the world] have passed, or will pass, the demographic transition and reach a constant population size sooner or later," he says.

According to his research, the more advanced and complex the society becomes, the more barriers against violence are put into place. In the western world, casualties from wars have dropped dramatically over time and homicide rates are falling. However, the study finds that hunter-gatherer societies were the most violent per individual, because they are less able to prevent spontaneously occurring violence and retaliation.

As a population grows, people need more space to live and work. Often this expansion only comes at the expense of their neighbors. This creates tension that often leads to violent confrontation, rewarding the victor with more land to accommodate its growing population. The stronger the fight is, the more land that is exchanged.